Opinions

Microsoft is taking on Chromebooks with a new ARM-based version of Windows 10, and everyone wins.
Microsoft is coming for your Chromebooks. No, they're not going to confiscate them like the TSA steals your water bottles, but more so in the competitive sense.
This week, Microsoft announced that it is launching an ARM-friendly version of Windows 10 in collaboration with Qualcomm's upcoming...

2016 Andrew's Favorite Tech
Everyone at Android Central has spent an amazing amount of time with mobile technology, accessories and gear throughout 2016. The goal is simple: use all of this stuff, find out what works the best and let you know the merits of what we determine to be the cream of the crop. 2016 was a fantastic year for new technologies to be released but also for...

Look, a couple hundred bucks (and change) is a lot of money to spend on a doorbell. I get it. But the Ring Pro has absolutely been worth it. The Pro is the best of the best, and I haven't once regretted buying it.
If you don't want to drop that much cash, also check out the original Ring. It's a little bigger and the camera's not quite as advanced, but it's still an excellent product...

2016 Daniel's Favorite Things
Lots of people look to tech as their source of gift inspiration around this time of year, and I'm fine with that — I enjoy a good phone or connected doorbell with the rest of them. But I also encourage you to gift a great book, movie or, depending on your proclivity, coffee-making apparatus, to mix things up. Here are my favorite things from this...

Taking a quick break from vacation to get back up to speed with the mobile world.
I've used my fair share of smartwatches over the past few years, starting with Pebbles, then picking up with Android Wear and watching Samsung figure out its wearable strategy with the each iteration of the Gear line. In that time I've also spent plenty of time with fitness bands on my wrist, which in the past...

Android is a lot better than it used to be, but those early days were really fun.
I waited in line to buy the G1 at an Alexandria, Virginia T-Mobile store. Yes, there was a line — in San Francisco and New York there were even people camping out. The phone I was buying wasn't going to replace whatever beat-to-hell BlackBerry I was using back then, I didn't even have T-Mobile service where I...

Headlines shout about hundreds of millions being vulnerable. But they ignore a vital part of Android's security which stops app-based malware dead in its tracks.
Whether it's QuadRooter earlier in 2016, or Gooligan more recently, the news is full of reports of terrifying Android security vulnerabilities. Often they're brought to light by security companies with a product to sell, and blown out...

There's still a lot to do in order to ensure USB-C is safe for everyone.
For the most part, techy folks seem to have figured out USB-C. They mostly know you can't just order the cheapest thing on sale at Amazon, are reasonably aware of the dangers associated with using bad cables, and there are consumer advocates out there pushing every day for better cables and more awareness. The beginnings...

USB-C is the port all of our new electronics will be using, except for the iPhone. Android is ready to hook up with your sexy new MacBook Pro.
Apple's new MacBook Pro was met with the same controversy that many new products garner. You can't please everyone, and there will always be a change or an omission that gets some folks riled up. We all do it, all the time, and this time was no...

What's it like to switch from Android to iPhone? Best thing ever, or worst thing ever? Perhaps some of you have already tried and know the experience first hand.
Whatever the case may be, join one of our first community reviewers (Eric) as he attempts the switch. Be sure to leave your comments below or hit us up on Twitter with your feedback. We'd also appreciate it if you shared some...

2016 Holiday Gift Guide
Looking for the best gifts for the best people in your life? We can help! We've spent the year testing a lot of great (and some not-so-great) products to figuring out our absolute favorite tech of 2016. And we've brought it all here, together, in one easy wish list, just for you!
Google Pixel
The Google Pixel is the best Android Phone you can...

What did you get?
There were a bunch of amazing deals available to U.S. and international consumers this Black Friday (and some fantastic Cyber Monday deals today, too). For many, it was the perfect time to pick up a new phone.
Some of the most popular phones during Black Friday.
From deeply-discounted Google Pixels at Verizon to unlocked devices like the ZTE Axon 7 and Honor 8, there were...

OnePlus has an unconventional approach to selling phones — and that's because phones are just an entry point.
Until recently, I've watched the OnePlus phenomenon from the outside. The brand's earlier efforts didn't really sway me, and I was turned off by the numerous (and well-documented) PR blunders. This year, with the OnePlus 3, the company finally grew up, with a great phone at a great...

Take a survey, win a phone!
Android Central is a living thing, always evolving to meet the needs of our user base. The past year has been one of transition, and many of you have seen a number of big changes happen to the way we deliver news, reviews, editorials and product recommendations, and how we operate on YouTube and social media.
That's why we thought it was the right time to ask you...

Not enough words have been written about the Google Pixel. At least not by me
The Pixel is one of the phones on a very short list of candidates for a place in my pocket and I've taken my time to decide how much I love or hate it after relying on it for a little while. We don't always get that luxury and each of us has based an opinion too early on something because we had to. Sometimes this...

Last week, Google Play Music took its first step towards a long, long overdue overhaul.
The recent Google Play Music update changes only one element of the UI: the home page. Before the update, it was a mix of Recents and Recommendations. Now, Listen Now is entirely recommendations, with only a Recents button in the top right corner to remind you that Play Music is anything but AI-made radio...

It goes like this, the fourth, the fifth, the minor fall, the major lift.
I haven't been sleeping much. You see, I got a dog last weekend — a Great Dane, Zadie, named after the incredible novelist Zadie Smith — and she's been keeping me busy. It's not my first dog, but the first I've raised from puppyhood, and the responsibility is humbling. She relies on me for everything: love, shelter, food...

There are bad deals, and then there are sales that show a disrespect for your customers.
Samsung's online Black Friday deals kick off on November 20, and it's always great to get an early look at what products will be available — and at what price — before the sales go live. As is often the case with these kinds of sales there are a couple of great deals out there, surrounded by lots of so-so...

"Ok Google, skip ahead 30 seconds."
Go ahead and ask that to your Pixel while playing music. A useless web search, right? Now try it on Google Home. It actually works. And that's the real shame, because this is happening across the board with Google Assistant: commands that work on Pixel don't work on Home, commands that work on Home don't work on Pixel, and don't get me started on the...

A Galaxy S7 has reportedly exploded. Let's talk about it.
It's a sobering thought: you're driving down the street and you feel your pocket start to get hot. You instinctively pad it down, realize it's your phone and take it out. The phone then starts smoking, bursting into flames as you hold it. You try to safely get to the side of the road while still holding this flaming piece of metal and...